The Strasbourg meeting, the first top-level meeting in the Council of Europe in four years, is devoted to legal protection issues and the development of democrasy in the former Soviet states. Russia’s president Boris Yeltsin partakes at the meeting, and was confronted with the Nikitin case during today’s debate.

Prime Minister Jagland stressed the importance of intensifying practical assistance to human rights projects in the member states, so that these states’ ability to comply with their obligations are strengthened.

–In this connection permit me to draw attention to the case of Russian citizen, Aleksandr Nikitin, an issue which has attracted considerable international concern. Let me just say that we trust that this case will be handled in full conformity with the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the obligations to which the members of this council have committed themselves, said Jagland in his speech.